Weekend Wildlife Sightings (Plus a Cute Kitty Picture or Two)

As many of you already know, I’m a big animal lover. Cats will always hold the ultimate special place in my heart, but I also love dogs, rabbits and wildlife of all kinds. So, you can imagine my excitement when we moved last fall to a neighborhood where we get to see beavers, bats, foxes, deer, groundhogs, bald eagles, geese, ducks and more all while out taking even the simplest of nature walks throughout the community.

And, while many of you may have been grilling or hitting the sand this past Memorial Day weekend, my husband and I also had a great time further exploring our area while attempting to snap pictures and film a video or two. So far, none of the images we've shot have turned out all that awesome, but we're hoping that if we keep heading out there a few times a week, we'll soon get some that are. And if sightings like these don't convince me to stick with my workout routine this summer, I don't know what will!

Isn't this shrub-munching beaver cute? We've seen a family of four so far!

A goose and her gosling, who's hiding in the weeds.

Deer sighting from across the pond.

Not exactly wildlife, but super cute just the same. They even took a break from sunning to get me a Mother's Day card a couple weeks ago. The inside says, "As far as cats go, I AM the best." And in my eyes, yup, they are. :)

Do you love nature walks and wildlife, too? What are some of your favorite animals to spot? 

Now a Freelance Contributor at Brit + Co.

Hey guys! I took an unexpected week off from blogging here at High Heels & Flip-Flops, but I promise it was for a good reason!

As I hinted at a few weeks back, I was recently selected for a new freelance writing gig, and today, I’m excited to share that I’ve joined the team at Brit + Co. as a weekly contributor. My first post, Beyond White: 15 Ombre Wedding Gowns, went live a few days ago, and I’m so grateful to all of you who already took the time to offer likes and kind words via social media.

Stay tuned for upcoming posts focused on weddings, food and more, plus some other new posts here. Lately, I've been struggling with topic ideas and interesting things to share on this blog, so if there's something you'd like to ask me or read about, feel free to let me know. 

As always, thanks for reading and following! :)

Five Things Thursday: Things I'm Loving

Happy May Day! It’s been a busy week around here, but I’ve still made time to join Diana and Tairalyn for their weekly Five Things linkup, where I’m sharing a few cool things I’m loving right now. Want to join in? Check out my five things below, share yours and then head on over to The World Around Her or Little Miss Mama to add your link and join the fun!

1. Charity Miles App

Even though our daily walks were put on hold thanks to rainy weather the past couple of days, I’m looking forward to getting back out there again! If you aren’t already familiar with it, the free Charity Miles app allows you to earn money for a charity of your choosing for every mile you walk, run or bike. Charities to choose from include Stand Up to Cancer, the Wounded Warrior Project, ASPCA and many more. Check it out, and start giving back while you work out!

2. Farmers Markets

Have I mentioned before that I love, love, love our new neighborhood? Starting tonight, there’ll be yet another great thing going on – a seasonal farmers market within easy walking distance of our place. I’m looking forward to seeing what they have and hopefully also getting inspired to whip up a few new healthy recipes.

Photo Credit: Fabbioli Cellars

3. Fabbioli Cellars’ Una Pera Wine

As I mentioned last week, Fabbioli Cellars is one of my favorite local wineries. Lately, I've been especially loving their Una Pera pear wine, which always hits the spot on a warm spring or summer’s day. Since it’s sold at our local Whole Foods, we can even get our fix without visiting the winery itself (even though we like to every chance we get).

4. Margaritas

For those times when wine just won’t cut it, I love indulging in a tangy margarita. I recently discovered this mango jalapeno recipe on Pinterest and can’t wait to give it a try.

5. MRIS Homes.com

Sure, Zillow is a great basic tool, but for hardcore house searching, MRIS Homes is a truly awesome one-stop shop for real-time, in-depth info. Fellow house hunters or homeowners, are there any other sites you'd recommend?

What are you loving this week?  

Five Things Thursday: Favorite Spring Activities

It’s that time of the week again, when I’m joining Diana and Tairalyn for the Five Things linkup and sharing five favorite activities I have or will be enjoying this spring. Want to join in? Check out my five things below, share yours and then head on over to The World Around Her or Little Miss Mama to add your link and join the fun!

1. Relaxing Neighborhood Walks

Coming off of an epic winter that felt like it would never end, I’ve especially been loving the warmer weather, blooming flowers and chirping birds letting us know that spring is finally here. In order to take advantage of the nicer weather before the dreaded summer humidity sets in, Stephen and I have been making time to go for walks around the neighborhood during the evenings and on weekends. With plenty of trails to choose from, our walks are simple, relaxing and a good way to ease back into exercising after months of winter laziness. We’ve loved seeing a lot of animals so far, too, including geese, beavers, ducks, turtles and frogs.

2. Local Wine Tasting

Trying out new wines and visiting local wineries are two of my favorite things any time of year, but especially during the spring, when the weather’s once again warm enough for a nice outdoor picnic and a chilled glass of refreshing Viognier. We’re hoping to hit up one of our faves, Fabbioli Cellars, very soon.

3. Lao New Year Festival

One fun highlight of our spring thus far was heading to last weekend’s Lao New Year Festival at a local temple. After wandering around and checking out the food options, we decided on papaya salad for me, chicken satay for Stephen, and pad Thai and Thai iced teas for us both, all of which we ate while listening to a local band perform. I was a little disappointed that no one seemed to be selling my all-time favorite dish, crispy rice salad, but we did manage to pick up a big batch of hot dried chilies to use in our cooking throughout the coming months.

4. Healthy Spring Cooking

After months of chowing down on pasta, soup and other wholesome comfort foods, it feels good to get back to making some lighter and healthier spring dishes, including sushi and stir fries. Trying new recipes has been a goal of ours recently, and next week, we’re planning to try replicating some of the meals we learned how to make during last month's Indian cooking classes.

5. Outdoor Patio Reading

Now that we’ve got our new Ikea patio set all ready to go, I’m looking forward to sitting outside during the day and in the evenings to read. I’m currently starting a new book by Paul Taylor called The Next America: Boomers, Millennials, and the Looming Generational Showdown, which I’ll be sure to review here on the blog.

Have a great Thursday and a fun weekend, everyone! What are some of your favorite things to do during the spring? 

Recipe Recap: SELF Magazine's Kung Pao Salmon

Following our success with SELF Magazine’s delicious tofu coconut curry recipe last month, Stephen and I couldn’t wait to give another one of their healthy and flavorful dishes a try. Once again, we weren’t disappointed with their kung pao salmon and sweet potato recipe, which we whipped up a couple weekends ago and are looking forward to making again sometime soon.

Check out the instructions on SELF’s website, and also feel free to make any modifications you'd like. We, for instance, decided to swap asparagus for broccoli and also serve the dish over a bed of red quinoa in order to make it a little more filling. Next time, we’ll probably kick it up another notch with more Sriracha sauce, too!

Disclaimer: As you may be aware, SELF messed up big time several weeks ago by publishing a piece that made fun of the tutu running trend, complete with a picture of a runner and cancer survivor who wasn’t made aware of the context in which her photo would be used. While I was and continue to be very disappointed with SELF’s actions, I’m glad the editor in chief owned up to the mistake, apologized, conducted an interview with the runner highlighting how inspiring and awesome she is, and decided to pull the column in question from the magazine’s future issues. 

Even though I know there are others who will no longer continue reading SELF following this debacle, I have decided to give them another chance, as this is a magazine I’ve loved reading ever since I was a teenager for its healthy living tips. I certainly hope this was a one-time serious error in judgment and that nothing like this will occur again in the future.